Bar technique
How to layer and float in a cocktail
A float sits a final pour on top of the drink instead of mixing it in: rum on a Dark ’n’ Stormy, a peaty Scotch on a Penicillin, cream on an Irish Coffee. The guest gets that layer first, on the nose and the first sip.
Sugar is what makes a liquid heavy. Syrups and sweet liqueurs sink; spirits and lightly whipped cream sit on top.
How to do it
- 1Build or strain the main drink first, so its surface is still.
- 2Turn a bar spoon upside down and rest its tip against the inside of the glass, just above the surface.
- 3Pour the float slowly over the back of the spoon so it spreads across rather than plunging through.
- 4For cream, whip it lightly until it just thickens and still pours, then float it the same way.
- 5Serve it as it is. Stirring a float undoes it.
Common mistakes
- Pouring too fast, so the layer breaks into the drink.
- Cream whipped too stiff to pour, or not at all, so it sinks.
- Adding the float before the drink below has settled.
Related: building, measuring and balance.
